Each ACEP president builds upon what others have begun. We have been enlightened about our diversity deficit, and a task force will develop a white paper to serve as our road map to close this diversity gap. Diversity is neither a cause de jour nor what is trendy or fashionable, but it is how organizations become stronger. Anything that makes us stronger must be embraced. We must not be satisfied with the mere appearance of diversity but insist on something more substantial and meaningful: diversity of thought and perspective.

Our attention has been turned to wellness, yet wellness is only the first part of a twofold approach to burnout. Wellness is about coping with the significant stresses of our practice; however, we must also remove the cause of our burnout. The cause is not the usual stress of practicing our craft; it’s the abuse heaped upon us by bad policy and its implementation. These are born from well-meaning but poorly informed and educated legislators, regulators, and administrators. Advocacy is important, but to be truly effective, we need the data and the evidence to be truly persuasive and effective, and this comes from health policy research. We also need more of us as the decision makers, as I mentioned in my address to the Council two years ago.

“We must not be satisfied with the mere appearance of diversity but insist on something more substantial and meaningful: diversity of thought and perspective.” —John J. Rogers, MD, CPE, FACEP

Reference

1. Gunderman R. For the Young Doctor About to Burn Out. The Atlantic. February 21, 2014.